Excess Baggage

by

VivianRose

Excess Baggage, Alicia Silverstone's latest half-hearted endeavor is entertaining, but nowhere near as laughably wacky as the 1996 Clueless movie (her best performance, in my opinion), yet it is certainly more humorous than Batman and Robin.

Silverstone's character, Emily Hope, is also oddly similar to Clueless "Cher": She's the privileged only child of a rich businessman; her mother died when she was little and she frequently schemes and connives plots that would only work in a movie. However, Emily is much more neglected, and therefore bitter, than Cher, and her antics are more out of anger and resentment than simple high school scheming. Emily is so desperate that she stages her own kidnapping in order for her so-far uncaring father to pay ransom, rescue her, and be so overjoyed at her safe return that he starts paying attention to her. Things are going smoothly until the car - that she has locked herself into the trunk of - is stolen. While a romance develops between Emily and the car thief, her Uncle Ray, who apparently loves Emily more than her father, catches on to her tricks.

Excess Baggage has too many serious moments and overstated morals to be a true side - splitter like Clueless, but it's still has enough humor, and good acting to rate it three stars.